Jay Harrington Net Worth (2026): Surprising Wealth Revealed

Jay Harrington net worth is estimated at $3 million in 2026. But published numbers range from $2 million to $10 million, and most sites never explain how they got there. This page does. We compare the different estimates, show why the $10 million claims do not hold up, and explain how a long S.W.A.T. salary shrinks after agents, managers, and taxes. 

Harrington played Sergeant David “Deacon” Kay on CBS for eight seasons, until the show ended in May 2025. Before that, he worked steadily on Better Off Ted and Desperate Housewives. Steady work is what explains the number. Read on for the sources, the math, and the figures we left out.

Quick Facts

Detail	Info
Full name	James H. Harrington III
Born	November 15, 1971, Wellesley, Massachusetts
Age	54
Profession	Actor, director
Known for	Deacon Kay on S.W.A.T.; Ted Crisp on Better Off Ted
Education	Syracuse University (theatre)
Residence	Los Angeles, California
Height	6 ft 0 in (per TheCityCeleb and InfoSeeMedia)
Net worth (estimated)	$3 million

Early Life and Background

Jay Harrington was born James H. Harrington III in Wellesley, Massachusetts. His parents are Terry and Judy Harrington. He has two brothers, Adam and Matt. Adam is an actor. According to InfoSeeMedia, Matt is a stunt performer who has doubled for Jay on S.W.A.T.

TheCityCeleb says Harrington spent childhood summers on Cape Cod, near the Harwich Junior Theatre. That is where his love of acting began. At Wellesley High School, he played baseball and ice hockey and acted in school plays. He then studied theatre at Syracuse University. TheCityCeleb gives his graduation year as 1994, while InfoSeeMedia says 1993, so we leave the year out.

There was no famous family shortcut. Harrington worked his way up through guest roles and supporting parts. That path usually builds a steady career and a modest Jay Harrington net worth, not a sudden windfall.

Career Timeline and Key Milestones

Early Career (1998–2005)

Harrington started in 1998 with one episode roles on Pacific Blue and The Pretender. Nash Bridges followed in 1999, along with a small part in the film Anywhere But Here. In 2001, he appeared on Star Trek: Voyager, then played Theodore Blumenthal in ten episodes of The Division. He had a main role as Steve Taylor in Coupling in 2003. His first recurring role came on Summerland (2004–2005), where he played Dr. Simon O’Keefe.

On the big screen, TheCityCeleb lists small parts in Whatever It Takes and Octopus (both 2000), and later Turkey Hollow (2015) and High Low Forty (2017).

Network TV Run (2005–2016)

He played FBI Special Agent Paul Ryan on The Inside (2005–2006). Then he played Dr. Ron McCready in seven episodes of Desperate Housewives. Private Practice gave him five episodes as Wyatt Lockhart.

His breakthrough came with Better Off Ted on ABC (2009–2010), where he played Ted Crisp. The show ran for two seasons. He kept working, with American Reunion in 2012, a recurring role on Hot in Cleveland, Benched in 2014, and Code Black in 2016–2017.

S.W.A.T. Years (2017–2025)

In 2017, he joined CBS’s S.W.A.T. as Sergeant II David “Deacon” Kay. According to Wikipedia’s episode guides, CBS cancelled the show in May 2023 and renewed it three days later for a 13 episode seventh season. A renewal for season eight came in April 2024. Deadline reported that CBS then chose not to negotiate again, and the series finale aired on May 16, 2025.

Harrington also directed three episodes: “All That Glitters” (season six, May 2023), “Allegiance” (season seven, May 2024), and “Open Season” (season eight, January 2025).

After the finale, Variety and Deadline reported that he would return as Deacon Kay as a guest star in the pilot of S.W.A.T. Exiles. This is Shemar Moore’s spinoff, which TV Insider says Starz is carrying in the U.S.

Jay Harrington Net Worth Breakdown by Income Source

Nobody outside his team knows his real pay. The table below shows how we build the Jay Harrington net worth figure, and how sure we are about each line.

Income source	What we know	Estimate	Confidence
S.W.A.T. salary	Eight seasons, 2017–2025	InfoSeeMedia models about $4.2 million gross through season seven, assuming $30,000 per episode	Low
Earlier TV roles	Better Off Ted, Desperate Housewives, The Inside, and others	InfoSeeMedia models about $130,000 for Better Off Ted and “hundreds of thousands” for guest roles (estimated)	Low
Residuals	Reruns of past shows	Amount unknown	Very low
Directing	Three S.W.A.T. episodes	Amount not published	Very low
Film	Small roles, including American Reunion	InfoSeeMedia estimates $500,000 to $1 million in total	Low
S.W.A.T. Exiles	Guest role in the pilot	Amount not published	Very low

S.W.A.T. Salary

This is the biggest line in Jay Harrington net worth by far. TheCityCeleb and InfoSeeMedia both use $20,000 to $40,000 per episode, but both describe it as a lead actor’s range. Harrington was one of the main cast, not the star. In our view, that range is more likely to be too high than too low.

Earlier TV Roles and Residuals

More than fifteen years of network credits add up. Residuals can also keep paying after a show ends. His residual amounts are not public.

Directing Credits

Directors are paid separately from actors, so three directed episodes add income. The fees are not published, so we do not guess a number.

Film Work

His movie roles were small. Film has never been his main source of income.

Why Jay Harrington’s Net Worth Estimates Range From $2M to $10M

Here is how the main sources compare.

Source	Figure	Problem
Primes World	$2 million	Page dates to about 2022
TheCityCeleb	$3 million	Uses a lead actor’s pay range, no sources
InfoSeeMedia	$3 million (and $2 million on the same page)	Contradicts itself and counts $1 million plus of imagined real estate gains
SuperStarsBio	About $4 million	Lists him as still married to Monica Richards and gives his height as 5’10”
Orbit Celeb	$3 to $5 million	Gives a wide range and leans on a guess about home value
netvaluehub	$10 million	Cites only “tens of thousands” per episode, with no breakdown

Most of these sites guess a salary, multiply it by the number of episodes, and stop. They skip the deductions. As an example, say an actor earns $1 million. An agent (10%), a manager (10%), and a lawyer (5%) take about $250,000. Income tax may take roughly 40% of the rest, or about $300,000. That leaves about $450,000. These are our rule of thumb assumptions, not Harrington’s real finances.

Apply that to InfoSeeMedia’s $8 million career estimate, and you get about $3.6 million. That is close to the $3 million most sources give. To reach $10 million after deductions, he would have needed to earn about $22 million. No source shows pay data that supports this. So the Jay Harrington net worth figure we use is $3 million, and we treat it as an estimate that could be a little higher or lower.

A quick way to judge any celebrity net worth page is to ask three questions. Does it name where the pay figure comes from? Does it account for agents, managers, and taxes? Is the date recent? Most of the pages above fail at least one of these tests.

Assets and Lifestyle

Harrington lives in Los Angeles, according to The City Celeb. We could not find verified property records, vehicle details, or confirmed business holdings, so we are not listing any.

InfoSeeMedia says he co owns a pizza restaurant called Rock ‘N Pies in Santa Monica. Orbit Celeb says reports and local sightings point the same way. Neither shows ownership records, so we do not count it. InfoSeeMedia also suggests that a $1 million home bought ten years ago could now be worth $3 to $4 million. That is a guess, not a record. It stays out of our Jay Harrington net worth estimate too.

Jay Harrington vs Shemar Moore: Net Worth Comparison

Shemar Moore led the S.W.A.T. cast as Sergeant Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson, which makes him the closest comparison.

Name	Net Worth	Profession	Primary Income Source
Jay Harrington	$3 million (estimated)	Actor, director	Network TV roles, mainly S.W.A.T.
Shemar Moore	$16 million (Celebrity Net Worth, via Yahoo)	Actor, producer	Network TV roles: Criminal Minds, S.W.A.T.

Most sites list Moore between $12 million and $25 million. A lead on a hit show earns far more per episode than a supporting cast member. Moore also spent years on The Young and the Restless and Criminal Minds. Set beside Moore, the Jay Harrington net worth looks much smaller, but that gap reflects billing and role size, not a lack of talent or effort.

Public Image and Career Longevity

S.W.A.T. was Harrington’s longest run. It lasted eight seasons, including a cancellation that was reversed within three days and a “final” season that was later extended. His character’s retirement in the season seven finale could have ended his time on the show. According to Collider, showrunner Andrew Dettman told TVLine that the return was always planned, and Deacon came back for season eight.

In his personal life, he married Monica Richards in August 2016, and she filed for divorce in October 2019, according to TheCityCeleb. TheCityCeleb and InfoSeeMedia both say he has dated Kierstan Saulter, a Love Island USA alum, since March 2021. We could not confirm his current relationship status.

He has also worked on stage, in productions such as Boy’s Life and Barefoot in the Park, according to TheCityCeleb.

What Could Change His Net Worth Next

Harrington’s income may look different in the next few years. Three things are worth watching.

Residuals. Eight seasons of S.W.A.T. leave a long library of episodes. Residuals can keep paying when episodes are shown again. Each payment is small, but they continue.

S.W.A.T. Exiles. His guest role in the spinoff pilot is a short job. It does show that the franchise still wants him. A bigger role would help his income more than one appearance.

Directing. He has already directed three episodes. More directing work would add a second income stream that does not depend on acting jobs.

None of this changes our Jay Harrington net worth estimate of $3 million today. We will adjust the number if verified information appears.

Frequently Asked Questions

 Cancalusions

Jay Harrington’s net worth is best seen as an estimate of about $3 million, not a fixed fact. His wealth comes from steady television work, mainly eight seasons on S.W.A.T., and not from one big payday. The higher figures online, especially $10 million, need far more income than any source can prove. If a verified contract, property record, or business filing appears, we will update this page.

Until then, $3 million is the most realistic number. That is also why we show our sources and our math, so you can check them yourself.